Best Ever Game Day Chili

When I am in the mood for Chili, the last thing I want is a bland bowl of tomato and ground beef that someone decided to call Chili. I want slow simmered, layers of flavor, keeps you on your toes guessing what is in it until the last. delicious. bite. THAT is Chili!

I have a recipe for you today that will set you well on your way to perfecting chili to exactly how you think it should be. This recipe has several “less-used” chili ingredients. They are not unheard-of, but they are not usually commonplace in your grandma’s chili recipe.

Also, as you scroll through the list of ingredients, don’t be scared off by the amount of chili powder that this recipe uses. Before you decide to cut back and not use the 1/3 of a cup that it calls for, do a quick taste test. Sprinkle a little chili powder into your hand (or on a spoon) and lick it off… what do you think? The common misconception is that chili powder is really spicy… but it is not! Many people cut back on the chili powder and all that does is make it bland and leaves you with chunky tomato soup. Don’t cut the chili powder, I promise you won’t regret it!!

2 lbs ground beef 2 large onions, chopped 2 Tbs minced dried garlic (or 2 cloves chopped finely) 1 green pepper, chopped (The store only had orange bell peppers when I went shopping so that is what you will see in the pictures, but I prefer green peppers in Chili) 8 , 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes (you can buy the bigger cans, they just didn’t have them at the store on the day I went) 1 can of original Rotel (diced tomatoes and peppers). If you don’t like spice, buy the mild version. 1 bottle of medium to dark beer 1 can of dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can of light kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1/3-1/2 cup chili powder 2 Tbs cocoa powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1/8 to 1/4 cayenne pepper (this adds spice!!! optional)brown sugar (amount is to taste, see below)

Toppings (Optional)

shredded cheesediced onionssour cream

Add the ground beef, half of the chopped onion and the garlic to a large stock pot (the pot in the pictures is 8 quarts). Cook the ground beef over medium high heat until browned, about 10-15 minutes or util it is no longer pink. Use a wooden spoon to break up clumps of meat to make sure it is throughly cooked. Spoon off grease from pot.

Add canned tomatoes and the bottle of beer to the ground beef and turn to medium heat, stir to incorporate.

Add chopped onion, bell pepper and rinsed/drained beans. Like I mentioned above, it looks nicer and I like the taste if green peppers but the store was out of them the day that I went shopping.

Mix Chili powder, Cocoa powder, Cumin, Paprika and Cayenne pepper in a separate bowl then add to chili. Stir well to incorporate, turn to low heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Once it has simmered and the pepper and onions have started to soften, it is time for a taste test. Spoon a little chili into a small dish and give it a taste.

One thing that I have noticed is that even if I make the chili EXACTLY the same, sometime it ends up with an “acidic” flavor to it, as if you had added vinegar. I have not been able to figure out why it does this some times and other times it does not.

I have figured out that sugar counters the acidity in the chili and brown sugar adds a nice flavor too! So if your chili is a little acidic, start off by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar and stir it into the chili well. I like to give it 3-5 minutes to let all the flavors mix then I test again.

For best results, your chili needs to simmer 1-2 hours after the last ingredient has been added. Keep tasting and don’t be afraid to tweak it until it is just right.

The beauty of chili is that everyone develops their own little twist… I hope you enjoy my version and I’d love to hear how you enjoy putting your mark on your chili! Do you have a favorite ingredient that is not mentioned here?